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Forests thinning near the Great Lakes

Sophomore mass communication major.
Frances has always had a passion for writing, and when she came to college, she decided to try something new. She'd always wondered what it would be like to write for a newspaper, so she decided she would find out. As a freshman, she was a staff writer, but as a first semester sophomore she became the Science & Tech Editor. As a sophomore she was Editor-in-Chief of The Johnsonian from 2013- April 2014. She is now a senior and works as a copy editor for The Johnsonian.
As an incoming freshman, she was an English major, but she soon discovered she had a passion for journalism, and she switched her major to mass communication. Working for The Johnsonian has been a great experience that has lead her to find her passion.

"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."
Helen Keller

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NASA satellites show thinning forests near the upper Great Lakes and eastern United States, according to USA Today.

The study released this week shows that 40 percent of the tree canopies has been lost in the Mid-Atlantic forests, according to the USA Today.

However, the Mid-Atlantic forests are not the only forest affected by droughts and rising temperatures, according to the USA Today. Forests in southern Appalachia, the southeastern coast, the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada are also affected, according to USA Today.

Christopher Potter, a research scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. is conducting the study and has concluded that trees, especially southern pines and the upper Midwest’s hardwoods, are becoming more vulnerable to insects and harmful pathogens, according to USA Today.

The National Climate Assessment was released by the U.S. government in January and concluded that climate change is the reason for increased forest deaths due to wildfires, infestions of insects, drought and diseases, according to USA Today.

The study has been conducted since 2000 to show a progression over time, according to the USA Today.